TwentyFour Hours
by Demonic Host
Summary: What would you do if you only had 24 hours left to live?


_**Twenty-Four Hours**_

Max felt herself shake. It wasn't from fight…or from anything she could recognize. Except…the news she just received. She was going to die. And this wasn't a joke anymore. Just like that…just after she'd found the cure for Logan. She hadn't even been with the guy! It had just felt nice to not almost kill him when she got to close…

It hadn't been enough that she carried the artificial inseminated kid of hers and Logan's around for six months before they had to take it out. No. It wasn't enough that the kid was still in the hospital and she hadn't seen it yet. It wasn't enough that the very kid she'd lugged around and that was sitting in the hospital is where the "cure" came from. No.

Carrying that kid had poisoned her.

_Been given 24 hours_  
_To tie up loose ends_  
_To make amends_  
_His eyes said it all_  
_I started to fall_  
_And the silence deafened_

Jesus Christ, he was acting like it was the end of the world. It wasn't like he was the one dying. It wasn't like he had to give up on saving the world. Damn it, why did she feel like she was about to cry?

There was that forlorn look in his eye as she her hands made a fist together. Alec wasn't saying anything either as she sat on the bed, the doctor having just left the room. This was much worse than that bullet that had bit her a while back, before that whole transgenic out in the world and virus bitch mess started. Bullets she could take and beat and heal from.

Being told be an ex-Manticore doctor that she had a clock over her head was a whole other story.

_Head spinning round_  
_No time to sit down_  
_Just wanted to_  
_Run and run and run_  
_Be careful they say_  
_Don't wish life away,_  
_Now I've one day_

She stood up swiftly, her head spinning and she didn't know if it was just the physical aspect of it. She could hear Ames White laughing at her with all his Breeding Cult freaks from inside her mind. Taunting her…reminding her of the things she hadn't done.

Some savor of man kind she turned out to be when she was only able to save the one man they had wanted her to target to kill and die from doing that. Where the hell had the instruction manual gone on that?

"Max, you should take it easy," Alec cautioned, probably the first thing he'd spoke since before the doc came in to give their prognosis.

"Bite me."

"That wouldn't help you, princesses."

Damn it, his mouth said one thing and his eyes were saying another. Why was looking at either of them so hard to do? Logan…she was leaving him alone after giving him a child that might not live any longer than she would and the cure. Alec…well she was still trying to get the jury to come back in on that one.

"Max, maybe you should listen to Alec," Logan spoke up, his tone beyond worried.

Double damn it.

She just had to get out of there.

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

_ And I can't believe_  
_How I've been wasting my time_

She had the coordinates. It was time to put an end to this. If she only had twenty-four hours she wasn't going to pussy foot around it and go out like a sitting duck. There had always been something about the Kamikaze divers that made her do a double take. She never understood why'd they go all suicidal on everyone and leave their families behind.

Guess this death bitch really did teach a lesson when it got near.

Her phone rang, near silent against her ear. She regretted getting it, yet again, while she'd been "pregnant". Although, it probably was the only useful gift Alec had ever given her. Apparently it had more to do with stopping Logan from blowing up his phone with calls though.

She turned her Ninja into a corner alley, not far in but enough to be off the road, as she flipped open the phone.

_**"This is suicide Maxy."**_

_** "Would you give it a rest Alex? What more can they do to me? Kill me? Big whoop I'm already dying." **_

_**"Damn it Max! Would you think for a moment! Come back and we get a transfusion or something don't leave your—"**_

_**"Shut it Alec!"**_

And with that she flipped the phone off, and peeled right back out. She had a lot of ground to cover, and not much time to do it in.

_In 24 hours they'll be_  
_Laying flowers_  
_On my life, it's over tonight_  
_I'm not messing no I_  
_Need your blessing_  
_And your promise to live free_  
_Please do it for me_

Why couldn't they just stop ridding her back and let her get this over with? She was dead already, prolonging it sure wouldn't help because that would just weaken more of them. No, if she was going to go out…she was going to do this right, and leave an army behind her. She might not be well liked among the Transies…but her death was going to count for something. She knew it would.

Alec, Logan, Cindy, Sketchy, and Joshua wouldn't let it rest. Who knew, maybe even some of the other less lovable transies in her life might pick up arms and get together. She'd was just doing them a favor by not sticking around and being a wet noodle that needed to be carried.

At least she could take out a few of these cult bastards. Who knows, maybe the new virus bitch in her might even wipe a few of them out. She doubted it, but the idea of Ames choking on himself seemed rather nice right about now.

She just wished that the others would let her go already. She was already dead. If she got over that, why couldn't they? Okay, so maybe she wasn't fully to grips, she was still hoping that this was some kind of sick joke that some of Terminal City played on her or something.

_Is there a heaven a hell_  
_And will I come back_  
_Who can tell_

Hell, maybe she'd take out a few heads, go over her time limit, get back there and find out her system was completely clear. But as she pulled up to the building, she knew that there was only so much lying a girl could do to herself.

_Now I can see_  
_What matters to me_  
_It's as clear as crystal_  
_The places I've been_  
_The people I've seen_  
_Plans that I made_  
_Start to fade_  
_The sun's setting gold_  
_Thought I would grow old,_  
_It wasn't to be_

_And I can't believe_  
_How I've been wasting my time_

Getting into that house had been such a childish task. She wasn't the exact best with those…guns…but drastic times called for drastic measures. She hated guns beyond belief. But she needed this to be easy. She needed to take out as many of those cult bastards as quickly as she could. Besides, bullet to a vital seemed almost more humane at the moment than beating them to death.

Except for the fact that she found a picture of a five year old on the refrigerator as she finished stuffing the slowly dying bodies in the pantry.

Damn it.

She had a kid in the hospital and now she'd just orphaned another one. Why was she doing this? This was stupid…it just wasn't pointless.

Why was she the one that was supposed to save everyone and put an end to this shit?

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

_In 18 hours they'll be_  
_Laying flowers_  
_On my life, it's over tonight_  
_I'm not messing no I_  
_Need your blessing_  
_And your promise to live free_  
_Please do it for me_

Max leaned against the doorway, catching her breath quickly. She was fading…she could feel it. It had only been six hours and she was already having to catch her breath. It wasn't a good sign. Looks like she had her answer about coming back after all…

Oh well…twenty of the ones in the area down.

She wasn't going to make it…she wasn't going to get to them all. And she hadn't even had the addresses of many of them to begin with.

Damn it.

But even if she set their plans back five years…that was five years for Logan and Alec to find a way to stop their shit. For maybe the Government to get off their lazy asses and see what was happening.

Yeah right, like that last one would happen.

Max just couldn't help but grip onto the wall as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her nose was shot from all the shots that had been fired off. The smell had long since gotten to her. Her ears were saved by the silencer that she had.

She hated guns. She hated doing this. She hated what was happening. But she hated the idea that these cult freaks were going to kill the world just to float their prophetic boat more.

Still, why couldn't she grow old in a rocking chair somewhere and die that way?

Because she was Max.

Why couldn't they see that? She already had five missed calls…Why couldn't they just let her go? It hurt how much she was realizing she didn't actually want to die because of those five missed calls…

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

_In 13 hours they'll be_  
_Laying flowers_  
_On my life, it's over tonight_  
_I'm not messing no I_  
_Need your blessing_  
_And your promise to live free_  
_Please do it for me_

More fell, she was growing weaker. She wasn't taking down as many now, not in one sitting. One of her guns were useless…she'd run out of bullets for it anyhow. But it meant one of her hands was useless. Ridding her Ninja cross handed was a bitch.

At least she didn't have to pretend to deal with police shit right now. She just hoped over any section they put up and didn't let off her speed so they couldn't even catch her if they tried. So what if they labeled her as a terrorist…? Logan would spin the story another way she was sure.

Her phone rang again. And again. And again.

Ridding at high speeds even for a the moment it took her to put her phone by her ear was harder than she'd thought.

**_"What?"_**Max snapped.

**_"Where are you?"_**

**_"Logan, stop. I'm not coming back."_**

She heard some rustling over the wind and roar of her engine, obviously produced by the people on the line.

_I'm not alone, I sense it, I sense it_  
_All that I said, I meant it, I meant it_

**_"Just tell me where you are boo. If you're going to do this thing, you're going to need help."_**

Ah, Cindy. The girl was absolutely nuts for sticking with her so far. They all were. She was about as fucked up as they came…at least her situation was. But it felt nice not to be alone while she was dying, even if they were a long ways a part she wasn't alone. They were all there with her, as corny and mushy as that sounded, and that's why she had to do it. To keep them alive. All her non-transgenic friends wouldn't survive the breeding cult's cleansing. Sure Alec and Joshua would…but with most of the human race gone, how would the world go on for them?

**_"Boo, you there?"_**

Max shifted her eyes a little, her hand long have since returned to her cross driving she'd adapted at full speed.

**_"I'm here Original Cindy."_**

By the looks of it, the next major city was coming up soon…

**_"Tell us where ya at so we can send some of the trans boys - and girls, hey, would you cut it out I'm talking to my boo! - down to help you."_**

**_"Fifty on the list OC."_**

Lies, she didn't want them anywhere near her when she finally bit the bullet. But hey, if they wanted to throw their lives away saving the world who was she to tell them no?

**_"Damn…"_** that almost sounded sad. **_"You've been busy haven't ya girl? A'ight…A'ight…they're shippin out now."_**

And with that, she hung up the phone.

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

_And I can't believe_  
_How much I've wasted my time_

_In just 8 hours they'll be_  
_Laying flowers_  
_On my life, it's over tonight_  
_I'm not messing no I_  
_Need your blessing_  
_And your promise to live free_  
_Please do it for me_

Max held her useless arm to her side as she looked around the corner, a bullet just missing her head as she pulled back quickly. Looks like the Enclave was sending up red flags now that at least three major cities of the freaks were gone. This was going to bite them…it might very well slow them down.

And yet, despite the small victory she was getting, Max couldn't help but feel remorse. There were so many things she hadn't done. So many people she was leaving behind. And she was dying from some stupid mutate of the original virus that her kid had incubated while it was growing. Guess it had to take after her like that.

But at least she was going to go out on her own terms, fighting, kicking, and screaming. Even if she was using guns to do it. She could hear all of her old unit mates words on it…Ben seemed to be the only one that she could think would be "happy" for her. But that wasn't saying much since Manticore drove him mad.

The pain in her arm pulled her back as she slunk to the floor. She was weak. She was tired. She really wasn't going to make it. And she was only on mark number forty…or was it thirty five.

Damn her head was fuzzy and hot.

A bullet went through the wall beside her as she tried to catch her breath and stand up, her teeth showing in a force of determination.

Footsteps. Damn, they were closing in.

Looks like this was her deathbed.

A loud shot, Max closed her eyes. But…there was no life flashing before her eyes like the last time she'd gotten shot in a vital area. There was no pain...

But she was able to open he eyes back up again. And instead of seeing herself on the floor, she saw Alec standing over a blond female, gun still smoking.

"Alec?"

Alec turned back to look at her, the eyes she was not used to seeing on him firmly in place. He was all manticore right now. Hey, maybe that's the version he figured she needed. She didn't want some wussy version of him at least, not when she was the one dying.

He moved up to her and looked at the way her shoulder was being held. A short stare before he reached out and snapped it back into place.

"I'd ask if you were okay, Max, but you look like hell enough to answer that already."

Max bit back a comment on that. "How'd you guess the number."

"Didn't, backtracked from fifty."

Max hissed as she pulled herself all the way to stand up. Her feet wobbling out from under her before Alec straightened her shoulders out, holding some of her weight.

"Hell Max, you don't look like you're make it the rest of the eight hours."

"Shove it Alec, I'm not stopping."

He let out a low sigh, the trained hit man soldier look from his eyes fading out slightly. Not completely though, he was still trying to put up the brave soldier front. Good for him, cause she didn't think she could any more. Were those tears sliding down her face?

"Can't you just be happy that I've finally gotten over that whole normal life shit?"

"Not like this Maxy…not like this."

"Stop calling me Maxy!"

He shook his head, defenses coming right back up. "Fine. Lets just get as much of this done as we can. Maybe by the time your kid grows up, those markings on her will be easier to figure out."

"Wait, what?"

Max's head was spinning. Her kid was still alive? Well, damn…that kid was stubborn. And the thing about markings didn't even filter through her head till she got over the fact that the kid had lived through two weeks with assistance.

"Come on Max, let's just take more of these cult freaks down so we can get a beer in before you bite the big apple."

Good old Alec…takes her mind off the fact that her kid was just as doomed to be a freak as she was if she lived through childhood.

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

_In just 1 hour they'll be_  
_Laying flowers_  
_On my life, it's over tonight_  
_I'm not messing no I_  
_Need your blessing_  
_And your promise to live free_  
_Please do it for me_

She could feel herself collapse against the wall with a laugh, if she'd had the energy to laugh that is. Forty-nine points…she'd managed to take out forty-nine points in twenty-three hours. Damn, she was good.

Alec looked down at her, gun still raised. He really did look like the good soldier boy like that. And she wasn't so sure if that was a bad thing. There was something strong about him. He'd live through this…he'd help others get through this bitch.

She just couldn't see the hurt in his eyes as she finally gave in to the weakness that was attacking her body. But how could she? By now her body was…human…or closer to it. And dying. Lets not forget that. She couldn't exactly see everything in the dark, her vision was fuzzy, and she was so tired…so very tired. And she hurt. All over. To top it off Max was pretty sure she even had the sniffles and a fever.

"Hey, Alec?"

Alec sat down his gun and crouched beside her, back to the nearest wall. "What Max?"

"Think you…" she stopped. What was she going to say again? "Think you can make sure Tinga grows up if she doesn't die?"

"Tinga?" Then he got it, she just named the girl. "Oh…sure, Max. Yeah, Tinga will have a lot of us looking out for her. You know Joshua is going to smoother her like an overgrown momma dog."

Was that a laugh or pain spasm that shot through her body? She didn't know anymore…everything hurt and nothing felt the same.

"Why Tinga?"

Max made what she thought was a smile. "Hey...this one I might have actually saved."

Alec said nothing to that.

"You won't…cry…will you?"

"Me? Cry? Max, you're getting delusional."

"Good," she responded softly. "Cause you need to lead them…so don't whine like a bitch. And tell Logan he can't put her in frilly dresses all the time…and if you ever fucking hit on her, I'm coming back from the dead and kicking your ass."

Alec laughed. "Sure."

Max spasm-ed, coughing up blood. This death wasn't going to be beautiful…she had a feeling this was going to hurt. And then, suddenly, the pain was gone. And so was she.

And Alec was left holding a hot gun once again, with water in his eyes.

* * *

The song was from Jem called 24 hours I believe. This is based off of the memories I have of season 1 and 2, not the actual book series as I haven't read it. Thank you for reading.


End file.
